New Saudi Visa Scheme to be announced During a Huge Touristic Event

The kingdom is adding the final touches to a game changing touristic initiative that is expected to benefit a number of international tourists through a visa scheme that will welcome visitors from 50 countries.

The initiative hasn’t been officially announced yet by the government but according to Arab News, the event will showcase the top attractions in SaudiArabia and will take place this month in September. The event will be covered by major and global advertising campaign and will launch in the presence of travel experts.

The event is expected to take place on September27 and will promote for the “the sights and sounds” of Saudi Arabia, targeted towards international and regional audience. The initiative shall also highlight the progress done so far on several tourism projects, including the digital events calendar and the expansion of the concept of Saudi Seasons.

Tourism projects also include a luxury resort on the Red Sea coast, visitor facilities at the historic Al-Ula area and an entertainment city at Qiddiya outside Riyadh.

Imad Damrah, managing director of Colliers Saudi Arabia, explained to Arab News how visas will have a significant effect on tourism. “It will be a game changer for tourism, leisure and entertainment in Saudi Arabia,” he said.

“It will not just encourage more new people to come, but it will be easier for people who have already decided to come.”

“Let’s get some perspective on this. If you come to Saudi Arabia, you can still go to Florida, or Dubai, as well. Every destination has its own attraction,” he added.

Crown Prince Salman Orders Renovation of Princess Nourah’s Palace at His Own Expense

In light of Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman’s plans to restore back the glory of historical landmarks, he has ordered the restoration and renovation process of Princess Nourah bint Abdulrahman Palace at his own expense.

Princess Nourah bint Abdulrahman Palace, aka Al-Shamsiyyah Palace is located near Al-Murabba neighborhood in Riyadh, and is considered as one of the Kingdom’s valuable landmarks.

Princess Nourah was the elder sister of King Abdul Aziz, founder of modern Saudi Arabia and the palace itself is a reflection to the prevalent local style of architecture from the 1950s which can be seen in its unique inscriptions.

Culture Minister Prince Badr bin Abdullah bin Farhan expressed his gratitude to Prince Salman for his ongoing support to historical landmarks and his efforts in preserving the Kingdom’s culture and heritage.

“This directive reflects the Crown Prince’s keenness to support the rich heritage and historic monuments in the Kingdom,” he said.

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Caroline Leon: Set to Become the First Female Mountaineer To Climb All 15 Peaks In The Middle East

Caroline Leon is an Australian-born Dubai-based mountain climber and now the pioneering climber is set to take on a new adventure of climbing 15 of the highest peaks in the Middle East and North Africa.

In doing so, she will scale a total of 40,000m in only 30 days! This daring climb is inspired by a life-threatening event that she suffered back in 2015 where she fell from seven meters high, leaving her rehabilitating for two years.

“I am thrilled to embark on this adventure – trekking up every peak in the Middle East is a psychological, physical and mental feat,” says 34-year-old Leon. “After almost a decade of working and living in the region, I have found it to be incredibly intriguing, and I would like to show people its real beauty. I believe we are only bound by the limits we set on ourselves.”

Leon will become the first woman ever to do this with 15/16 countries in 30/31 days on the road, and this entire challenge is in support of her favorite UAE charity Gulf For Good.

“We are delighted to support Caroline on this adventure,” added Nour SulimanCEO of DHLExpress in the Middle East and North Africa, because DHL is the sponsor of the climb. “She has incredible grit and passion, and is continuously looking to conquer new frontiers. Her remarkable strength of character and can-do attitude resonates with our brand values and she is an inspiration to us all at DHL. We send her our best wishes, and we will be providing her all the support she needs.”

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Extreme Sports Athelete Jokke Sommer Praises the Activities in Asir

Extreme-sports athlete Jokke Sommer praised the ongoing transformation of the tourism projects in Saudi Arabia and that the mega projects that are underway will change the perception of the world of how they view the Kingdom.

The Norwegian professional skydiver, BASE jumper and wingsuit flyer has displayed his skills in the region of Asir as part of the Al-Soudah season, he then praised his stay saying that his experience was a pretty good one and is urging others to visit the Kingdom to experience it themselves.

Sommer believes that the media wrongfully portrays Saudi Arabia and that tourism is the way to changing those misleading perceptions projected by international media.

“Once Saudi opens up tourism more, this will change automatically,” he said. “People will see the country is not what people or the media have told them.”

“What makes Al-Soudah cool is mostly the people, the culture and the fact that everyone is curious about what we are doing and so open and peaceful,” he said. He also added that he was impressed by the natural beauty of the Asir region that is surrounded by mountains, which makes an ideal place for the wingsuit flyers taking part in the festival.

“The nature there was very beautiful as well; it was green and surprising,” said Sommer. “We normally think the Middle East is a lot of sand and rocks but it was really nice to fly over green
as well.”